Writing Assignment 5
Assignment Title
Writing Assignment 5
Cyberterrorism, Bioterrorism, Agroterrorism and nuclear terrorism are some of the unconventional methods of terrorism that have been used by or attempted by certain terrorist organizations in the past. There are two, opposing levels of unconventional terrorism- the first is to conduct a huge terrorist strike using conventional methods such as warfare to bring about unconventional results and the second is to engage in a terrorist attack that is unconventional in nature but would bring about the same effect (Schweitzer, 2003) or damage as a conventional warfare would , such as, a change in regime, socio-political degradation or genocide. Of all the unconventional terrorist methods cyberterrorism is the most likely to be used and it most probably would be used against China.
Using conventional methods of warfare, weapons or carrying out suicide attacks in specific locations would no doubt demoralize the country or the government that the organization is fighting against but it would not make a huge impact as sadly these have become a normal in today’s world. However using an unconventional method would not only bring in attention but also inflict heavy damage as such an attack would not have been foreseen by the governments or the authorities. A cyberterrorist attack is more likely to be the most deployed unconventional terrorist attack in the future owing to it relative advantages. Unlike bioterrorism, agroterrorism or nuclear terrorism, where the inputs are higher and the risks of getting caught are more, cyberterrorism affords the luxury of anonymity and is also relatively cheaper. Bioterrorism can attack friendly people, agroterrorism can be contained in the initial stages and nuclear terrorism can be stopped and easily thwarted (getting hold of a nuclear missile and firing it is also not simple). Cyberterrorism on the other hand can be conducted with relative anonymity and with most of the world and the economic activities tied to and interconnected to computer systems around the world, a cyberterrorist attack is most likely to cause widespread damage, panic and anger.
China seems to be the most likely candidate for a cyberterrorist attack for various reasons. To begin with, there is a quite restive muslim population in China that is being systematically targeted by the government and which might fight back big anytime. There have already been many instances of terrorist attacks in the region such as the Urumqi bombings of 1992, the 2011 Hotan attack and the 2014 Urumqi attack (Deadly China Blast, 2014). Owing to the suppression and the omnipresent nature of the Chinese government, bioterrorist, nuclear or agri terrorist attacks seem futile and impossible. Cyber terrorist attacks on the other hand can be carried out by anywhere and can severely cripple the Chinese economy. Not only can a cyberterrorist attack interfere with China’s local economy and communication systems it can also jeopardize its relations with other countries. China is also a target because of its rising economic and military significance. While terrorist groups might not carry out attacks to counter this, other countries might use terrorist tactics to bring down the rise of the country. In any case a cyberterrorist attack is the most likely method to be used as it is effective and more damaging than the others.
References
Schweitzer, Yoram. (2003). The Age of Non-conventional Terrorism. Strategic Assessment, 6(1), 26-31.
Deadly China blast at Xinjiang railway station. (2014, April 30). Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-27225308.
